Gillard compromise: Australia to abstain re Palestinian UN status

Updated
November 27, 2012 18:03:00

The Prime Minister's avoided a caucus revolt over the controversial Palestinian question, proposing Australia abstain on the United Nations resolution later this week to grant the Palestinian Authority observer status in the UN. The Labor Party was deeply divided on the issue. Former prime minister Bob Hawke and former foreign minister Gareth Evans both lobbied MPs to support the Palestinian resolution.

MARK COLVIN: The Prime Minister has avoided a caucus revolt over the controversial Palestinian question. She's proposing that Australia abstain in the United Nations resolution later this week to grant the Palestinian Authority observer status in the UN.

The Labor Party was deeply divided on the issue.

Former prime minister, Bob Hawke, and former foreign minister, Gareth Evans, both lobbied MPs to support the Palestinian resolution.

The left faction, and some in the right, also backed a "yes" vote.

From Canberra, Alexandra Kirk reports.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: The Prime Minister has compromised on her opposition to the Palestinian Authority being granted observer status in the United Nations.

So when the contentious issue's put to the vote in the UN General Assembly later this week, Australia will abstain.

Left faction MPs, and some from the right, lobbied for a yes vote. A clear majority of countries is expected to support the resolution.

Former foreign minister, Gareth Evans, has been briefing MPs, and former prime minister, Bob Hawke, made his views known. Both strong supporters of Israel, they're in favour of Palestinian observer status.

Mr Evans thinks Israel has misread the situation.

GARETH EVANS: My very strong view was that to vote 'no' on this resolution would be not to help the cause of peace, not to help Israel and to be putting Australia absolutely on the wrong side of history in terms of our region and in terms of our capacity to be a credible and effective performer on the Security Council over the next two years.

I genuinely believed that this would be a foreign policy catastrophe and one of the worst decisions we could possibly make if we were to go down this particular path.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Labor has decided to in fact abstain rather than actually support the Palestinian resolution; so is that a disappointment to you?

GARETH EVANS: No, it's not. I mean a 'yes' vote or an abstention vote were equally acceptable and would be equally understood internationally. It's a 'no' vote that would have created huge problems for us.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: But Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, is also historically a strong supporter of Israel. He says he advocated an abstention and doesn't regard it as a compromise position.

BOB CARR: I don't think it's a compromise at all. It's a strong Australian decision to say we support a Palestinian state. This has become widely seen as a referendum on the idea of a Palestinian state and if we voted 'no' it would be widely interpreted as us not supporting Palestinian nationhood in any context.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: But the Prime Minister is opposed to the resolution; that was her position, wasn't it? She wanted Australia to vote with the US and Israel and a few others against it.

BOB CARR: The Prime Minister and I share the view that there are downsides to this resolution. It won't advance what we all want to see on its own; that is a two-state solution with Palestinian state and security guarantees for Israel that can only happen through negotiations between the two sides.

But this will be widely interpreted as encouragement to moderate Palestinians in the West Bank who've begun to despair, begun to despair because of the performance of Hamas, lobbing missiles into Israel, producing the recent conflict we witnessed and agonised over.

Beginning to despair because of the spread of Israeli settlements.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Now the left faction argued that supporting the Palestinian Authority getting observer status at the UN would in fact help the peace process. Do they have a point?

BOB CARR: Well, it remains to be seen.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: But you weren't convinced?

BOB CARR: Well I don't think that's a primary argument for this. I think the argument for the position we're taking is that this vote had become a referendum on the idea of a Palestinian state and if we'd voted 'no' it would be widely interpreted that we don't support Palestinian statehood.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: What about MPs in Western Sydney who are under a lot of pressure from their voters of Middle Eastern background; there's a lot of sympathy there for the Palestinian cause?

BOB CARR: I think, I'm certain that they will welcome this decision today, certain they would welcome.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Because it's not a 'no'?

BOB CARR: More than that; it is some movement for Australia and a signal to the world that Australia, with an independent foreign policy, can carve out a position that meets our assessments and meets our needs and our interests.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Is there an upside for the Government here when a lot of people have said Australia shouldn't be continually following in the footsteps of the US?

BOB CARR: Well we take a decision here based on the merits of a case. I think this sends a message that as Australia assesses its interest, it lies in that middle column where we won't be lonely.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Is it fair to say that the majority of the Government wanted Australia to in fact support observer status for the Palestinian Authority?

BOB CARR: Well that didn't come to a vote. I've got to say the atmosphere in the caucus room was a very warm ersponse to the Prime Minister's leadership. The Prime Minister standing up and saying, "I think we, with all my reservations," she said, about the way forward on the Middle East, "with all my reservations, that we cannot be seen to be voting against the notion of Palestinian statehood."

ALEXANDRA KIRK: But she was outnumbered though wasn't she in her position wanting to oppose the resolution.

BOB CARR: No, she took a...

ALEXANDRA KIRK: So in the end...

BOB CARR: She took a full canvassing of party opinion.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: And that was in the Cabinet and also in the Caucus was a different opinion to hers.

BOB CARR: Well, I don't comment on what's said in party rooms. You'll have to interrogate your own sources. But I saw a Prime Minister engaging with party opinion, listening to what people had to say from all over the nation and from every corner of Labor opinion and doing what leaders do, what good leaders do, and that is speak for the whole party.